wages same as benefits - what would you do?

mattcanary

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I did give up working for eight years (hence my seven-day-weekend), , but did not claim any Benefits, we lived on my husband's Teachers' Pension. It's only since we returned to the UK after living in Spain that I have started working and volunteering again, it was not possible in Spain.

I'm not saying people should not claim any benefits if they are entitled to them, I just think it is best not to do so if there is a choice, which is why I suggested the OP's friend took the job. I don't think there should be a choice between 'take a job you have been offered' or 'live on benefits'.

I would like to apologise for my tone in earlier emails.
I can see from your previous responses to people that you do try to help, rather than just come out with some crap that all people on benefits are scum.
I was mistaking you for another poster, that I have been enraged about in the past. I should have taken a moment to check things out first.

mattcanary

StormyWeather wrote: »

If two parents are working full time then household and looking after the children should be split. If the husband sits back and expects to do less they are acting like a 5th child.

I do sort of agree.
However, I think sometimes this problems arises because one of the people in the rlationship (more often the female, but not always) is more house-proud than the other. They then think that the other person should be doing more housework,when that person feels the house is already perfectly presentable as it is.

mattcanary

whodathunkit wrote: »

A few hours a week flogging Avon to her mates doesn't make her a worker in any normal sense of the word.

She may think though, that this is the route to big money in the future.

Plenty of other people have been caught out like this.....

There is actually a fair physical amount of work involved in this type of role. Delivering leaflets through so many letterboxes, or organising parties for people where they buy the Avon goods. Not time well spent, in many cases I agree. But some people must succeed through doing this this -otherwise Avon,Kleeneze, Betterware, etc wouldn;t still be in existence.

plzhelpmesave!

Wow, didn't think to check back in....a very emotive issue and so many different views - none right or wrong - as someone has said, it is about doing what is right for your own family.
I know there are a lot of other people in the same position - hope everyone finds a solution that works for them
Thanks again to everyone for replying - she has decided to take the job and give it a go!!

mattcanary

I wish her good luck!

Pont

TheSaint wrote: »

The benefits system is here to support people bring up their children.

No actually it isn't. The benefit system is here to support people who have fallen on hard times for the short term.

seven-day-weekend

mattcanary wrote: »

I would like to apologise for my tone in earlier emails.
I can see from your previous responses to people that you do try to help, rather than just come out with some crap that all people on benefits are scum.
I was mistaking you for another poster, that I have been enraged about in the past. I should have taken a moment to check things out first.

Thanks for the apology, although not necessary

Mojisola

Pont wrote: »

No actually it isn't. The benefit system is here to support people who have fallen on hard times for the short term.

It started out like that but it now provides a lot of money for parents, working and not working, to help with the costs of bringing up children.

Toomuchdebt

melysion wrote: »

Take the job. In my view, its better to even be slightly worse off by working than claiming benefits.

And - long term - it will be better for her than continuing to claim benefits now and find herself unemployable later when she needs a job after the children have left home (and she loses all those benefits)

I'm going to disagree with this-if you are paying back debts,never have any money left over by the end of the month....then how is having even less money going to help?Added to which the travelling time, extra stress,less time with the kids..I wouldn't do it unless it was an exceptional job.I've been working the past couple of years and had to take time off recently as my little boy wasn't well and am no longer working as my services were"no longer required"
I agree working is better than being on benefits but NOT if you end up worse off.

Toomuchdebt

Mojisola wrote: »

That wasn't my point - the four children have two parents - should they be proud of their Dad who goes out to work but not their Mum who is working hard raising them? Should their Dad only be proud of his wife if she brings a salary into the household despite the fact that he is living off benefits along with the rest of them.

I agree with you about having more children than you can afford to raise. I think all children related benefits should be limited to two per couple.

Oh cos that would be so fair on people like me whose partner was quite happy supporting us for years and then suddenly cheated and went off with the other woman...maybe I should have given up some of the kids for adoption or something cos with your system we wouldn't be able to afford to eat let alone buy clothes or pay bills.Nobody can see into the future...had I known this was going to happen I would have had less kids but I didn't know I totally agree in the case of those women who just carry on having them all the time just because of benefits.